Remedial Lessons
by SymphonySamurai
Summary: AU OotP. What if Hermione had taken a more proactive stance against Harry's treatment by Snape and Umbridge? How far is too far to go to protect someone you love? Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Remedial Lessons**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and characters are the intellectual property of J. K. Rowling. I claim no ownership over anything belonging to her that appears in this story.**

* * *

_Knock Knock_

"Enter."

Severus Snape glanced up from the potions essay he was grading to see Harry Potter entering his office for their scheduled occlumency lesson. The dour professor silently indicated for Potter to take a seat before returning to the parchment in front of him. Neither wizard said a word as the sound of Snape's quill dominated the room. Setting the essay aside to dry, Snape stood and strode over to his pensieve to begin siphoning his most private memories into for safekeeping. As the last silver strand landed in the mercurial liquid, he turned and regarded his guest with an unreadable expression. Although his face showed no emotion, he was anything but calm.

Severus has barely been able to contain his glee when Dumbledore had presented him with this task. Normally the process of learning occlumency involved learning the theory in the first lesson followed by a gradual strengthening of the mental shields against increasingly violent intrusion attempts. Severus had forgone the theory altogether and instead immediately began attacking Harry's mind with the strength usually reserved for testing at the Master level.

Rather than teaching the boy occlumency as Dumbledore believed, over the last several weeks he had instead been inflicting the most painful, invasive, and embarrassing torture possible while systematically eroding any natural mental shields the boy may have had. He took great pleasure in forcing the brat to relive over and over every horrible thing that had happened to him in his life, including the abuse he had endured lately from Madame Umbridge's delightful quill. His efforts to weaken the boy's mind were paying off, and tonight he planned to leave behind several subtle compulsions designed to breed feelings of resentment and hostility toward his friends, especially that mudblood Granger. He saw it as fair revenge for the loss of Lily Evans to James Potter to deny the bastard's son the chance at the same happiness.

With these thoughts in mind Snape moved to stand in front of Harry, noticing with no small amount of satisfaction the boy's shoulders already slumped in defeat. "Potter," he sneered, "your continued lack of focus and commitment despite the gravity of the situation will no longer be tolerated. I daresay that I'd have more success teaching occlumency to one of Hagrid's abominations in half the time I've wasted on you. From now on I will receive nothing less than your full efforts or you will be left to the Dark Lord's nonexistent mercy. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, professor," Harry replied without looking up. Snape quirked an eyebrow. Something about the boy's body language and vocal inflection seemed… off, somehow, but the potions master couldn't quite pinpoint the difference.

"Clear your mind," he said. After a few moments of silence Harry gave a determined huff before looking up to meet his eyes and nodding. Barely suppressing his smirk of victory, Snape drew his wand and leveled it between Harry's eyes. "Legillimens!"

It was only a few seconds before the screaming started.

-oOoOo-

_Knock Knock_

"Enter!"

Delores Umbridge looked up from the paperwork that Minister Fudge had sent her to peruse to see Severus Snape stepping into her office and shutting the door softly behind him.

"Severus," she simpered, trying to hide her annoyance at being interrupted. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Good evening, Delores," Snape drawled. "I wonder if I might take a moment of your time to discuss a matter which I believe you may find… enlightening."

Intrigued, Delores set aside the parchment in her hand. "I believe I can spare a few moments for a colleague. Tea?"

"Allow me," Snape said, crossing the room to the tea service next to the fireplace. "How do you take it?"

"Two sugars, no lemon," she chirped. Snape nodded and prepared two cups of tea, passing one to her as he took a seat in the chair in front of her desk with the other. A few moments passed as both professors sipped their steaming tea before Delores set aside her cup and cleared her throat. "Now then, what is it you wished to speak to me about?"

Snape met her gaze for a moment. "I've just come from a remedial potions lesson with a particularly troublesome fifth year Gryffindor, with whom I believe you are most familiar."

"Potter," she spat, her eyes hardening.

Snape nodded. "The very same. The headmaster has tasked me with helping the boy improve his dismal potions grade, a task that is proving to be an exercise in futility despite my considerable skill. After two insufferable hours confined to a potions lab with him I was nearly ready to boil my own head. I'm sure you can relate."

Delores nodded. "Indeed I can. However, I'm quite curious as to why you feel that Mr. Potter's less-than-adequate potions grade is any of my concern?"

"I believe it concerns you because Mr. Potter's remedial potions lesson is in fact a cover for the occlumency lessons that the Headmaster wishes the boy to receive."

Delores's eyes lit up with malicious glee. "Is that so? I take it that by bringing this to my attention you are implying that he is keeping secrets that the Ministry ought to know, and that you are seeing to it that they fall into the correct ears, as any good citizen would?"

Snape smiled. "Quite."

In the blink of an eye Delores had a quill and parchment in hand with a look on her face as if Christmas had come early. "Go on, please."

"Mr. Potter and his friends have organized a clandestine group of students under direct remit of the Headmaster which they call 'Dumbledore's Army.' Each meeting consists of Mr. Potter personally instructing Hogwarts students in techniques designed to bring about the downfall of the Ministry of Magic." Delores's hand was a blur as she copied Snape's words verbatim. "Admittance into the group requires the signing of a magical contract which carries gruesome consequences for any who would expose the group's existence. They meet in a secret room on the seventh floor across from the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy, but the meeting times are sporadic and difficult to predict. It may also interest you to know that Hermione Granger is the mastermind behind the contract as well as the trap spells it contains."

Delores continued writing for a moment before stopping with a flourish. "Severus, this is excellent! With this information I'll finally have what I need to snap that little upstart's wand and ship him off to Azkaban for the rest of his natural life, along with his mudblood girlfriend. Now that I know the 'what' and the 'where,' it's only a matter of time before I find out the 'when.' Until then I'm afraid I'll have to keep Mr. Potter in detention every night to keep a close eye on him. It will be difficult, but I'm sure I'll come up with something… entertaining for him to do." Delores waved her hand airily, drawing Snape's gaze to a piece of parchment on her desk where the words "I must not tell lies" was written repeatedly in a suspicious red ink.

Snape regarded her with a look that almost resembled respect. "A blood quill," he said. "A most creative punishment Delores. Although, I fear that it leads me to the other piece of disturbing information that I feel the need to share with you."

Delores quirked an eyebrow. "More?"

"Yes. I have knowledge of a plot against the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, one Delores Umbridge."

The quill dropped out of Delores's hand almost as fast as the blood drained from her face. "Are you implying… assassination? Of me? Do you know by whom?"

"Indeed I do," he said. "In fact, he's in this very room as we speak."

Delores gaped. "You!? Y-you… intend to… to… to _kill_ me?"

Snape's mouth curled into a wicked smile. "My dear lady, you don't seem to grasp the entirety of the situation." He withdrew an empty vial from his pocket and placed it firmly on her desk. "I killed you ten minutes ago with your first sip of tea." Delores reeled back as if struck, her hands instinctively clutching her throat as her eyes widened in horror. "It's quite a nasty little potion too, found only in the darkest of potion texts. Once a single drop is ingested it goes to work, eating away at the victim's magical core like acid. In a matter of minutes it will completely consume the core and move on to the rest of the body, slowly liquefying all the major organs. I'm told it's one of the most agonizing deaths in the wizarding world." By now the terrified witch was curled into the fetal position, clutching her belly in agony. Snape stood and stared down at her with pure loathing in his eyes. "Goodbye, Delores. I'm afraid the next time you see this face it will be in Hell." Giving the dying witch one final glare, Snape spun on his heel and left the room, shutting the door just before Delores began coughing up blood.

-oOoOo-

"Is he dead?"

"Not yet, but he will be soon."

"What in Merlin's name did you do to him?"

"He did it to himself really; all I did was sit there. Of course I could've mentioned who I really was before he tried barreling into my mind like a herd of hippogriffs, but I doubt he would've listened. He seemed quite intent on causing as much harm as he could as quickly as possible. You can see how well that worked out for him. Anyway, what of our friend, the Toad Lady?"

"Croaked."

"Smartass."

"The very smartest. Hey now, wipe that morose look off your face. We did the right thing, and you know it. You read the letter, and we both saw the evidence with our own eyes. They were both torturing him, and nobody else in this place was lifting a finger to help. James and Lily's son deserves better than that, and we owe it to them to look after him."

"I know he does. I just hope this doesn't wind up doing more harm than good."

"Our boy's in good hands. She'll take good care of him for us."

"I'd say she already is."

-oOoOo-

While his tormentors were meeting their sticky ends, the real Harry Potter was in the hospital wing with Hermione Granger at his side gently wiping his feverish brow with a damp cloth. He had suddenly fallen ill during dinner and made his way to Madam Pomfrey, who immediately shooed him into a bed for the night. The mediwitch would later swear that the two teens had talked quietly until just before curfew, when Hermione left him with a kiss on the forehead and a promise to visit first thing in the morning. The Fat Lady would confirm opening the door for Hermione no more than five minutes later and not seeing her emerge until morning.

Portraits in other parts of the castle had a much more interesting story to tell. Although there was no sign of Harry Potter outside the hospital wing, several portraits reported seeing Severus Snape making his way from the dungeons to Delores Umbridge's office and back. He would be discovered several hours later dead in his office. A check of his wand revealed his last spell to be an _obliviate_ powerful enough to cause all brain function to cease. Since he had effectively erased any clues as to his motives, nobody could be sure what drove the potions master to murder the woman in such a gruesome way. There were many theories, but most chalked it up to him simply cracking under the pressure of teaching such a dangerous subject for so long. Examination of the pensieve found in his office revealed traumatic memories from his childhood as well as several horrifying scenes from his days as an active Death Eater, all of which clearly pointed to Severus Snape being a very mentally-disturbed man.

With the castle in an uproar over the apparent murder-suicide the night before, Harry and Hermione went unnoticed as they stolled out of the castle and down to the shore of the Black Lake. It was there that she added to Harry's considerable good mood by finally admitting her deep feelings for her best friend, feelings that he returned with gusto. After several hours of talking, laughing, and snogging, the new couple could be seen sitting silently, hand-in-hand, watching the sun glisten on the water.

As she gently ran her thumb across the hateful words forever scarred into Harry's hand, Hermione thought back to the plans that had unfolded to lead them to where they were now. After finally getting Harry to open up about what was going on with Snape and Umbridge, she had wasted no time in sending off a letter to the only two people who could possibly help. It only took two days before they wrote back saying that they had made arrangements according to her plan and that they would be ready to strike during Harry's scheduled occlumency lesson that week. Hermione had then contacted Dobby who, after having the situation explained to him, was only too happy to help protect "Master Harry" from "the bad bat man" and "evil toad woman." Being a house elf, it was no trouble at all for him to stealthily retrieve several hairs from Snape and Harry, or to slip a sleeping drought into Dumbledore's evening tea so he would be unable to interfere, or even to spike Harry's dinner with a fever potion courtesy of the Weasley Twins to keep him safely tucked away in the hospital wing and above any suspicion. All that was left was for two old Marauders to sneak into the castle undetected using one of the many secret tunnels they discovered in their youth. Using a combination of Polyjuice potion and Harry's invisibility cloak, borrowed for the night by Dobby, Sirius and Remus had followed Hermione's plan to the letter, showing Snape and Umbridge exactly what happens when you hurt a Marauder's family.

Walking back to the castle with her arm around her wizard, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't faze her in the slightest that she was now an accessory to two murders. All that mattered to her was that the man she loved was safe, happy, and _hers_. As she led Harry through the corridors intent on finding a broom closet to do some further celebrating in, Hermione's good mood was interrupted by the sneering voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Well well, if it isn't Potty and the mudblood. Couldn't find anyone better to shag than this one, eh Potter? Better get your kicks while you can. The Dark Lord will be putting you both in your place soon enough." Harry opened his mouth to fire off an angry retort but was stopped by Hermione's hand on his shoulder. She shook her head while giving him a sultry look that quickly pushed all thoughts of the Ferret out of his mind. As they walked away leaving a sputtering Malfoy behind, Hermione's mind was already hard at work on a plan to deal with the arrogant berk. Her last thought before losing herself in the feeling of dueling tongues and wandering hands was that soon, very soon, it would be time for one more remedial lesson. And this time, she would be teaching it personally.


	2. Chapter 2: Draco

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and characters are the intellectual property of J. K. Rowling. I claim no ownership over anything belonging to her that appears in this story.**

**A/N: This chapter contains some truly graphic content. Consider yourself warned.  
**

* * *

Remedial Lessons II: Draco

"Ugh...what the...?"

Draco Malfoy awoke slowly, fighting through the telltale grogginess that comes from being hit with a _stupefy_. For a moment he could do nothing but sit in a daze trying to figure out how he went from following Potter's mudblood on her prefect rounds to being bound to a chair in an abandoned classroom. He thought he had the perfect opportunity to get the drop on her when he saw her turn down a corridor that he knew contained none of the Headmaster's spy network of talking portraits. Creeping around the corner with wand in hand he had just enough time to gasp in shock before the bright red flash of the stunner robbed him of consciousness. Promising to make the mudblood pay for the throbbing knot on his skull from the rough landing, Draco began struggling to free himself from the ropes that bound him, unaware of the hidden eyes watching his every move.

"Hello Draco. Enjoy your kip?" His actions stilled and his gaze snapped to the dark corner of the room that the voice had come from. Out of the shadows stepped Hermione Granger with an amused smile on her face as she twirled his wand idly through her fingers. He gawked at her in shock for a moment before plastering his customary sneer firmly on his face.

"Bitch," he spat. "Release me at once! When my father hears of this he'll..." His words were cut off by a silencing spell fired from his own wand.

"Oh I'm sure he would be thrilled to hear that you were bested so easily by a 'filthy mudblood,' wouldn't he Draco? Not to mention your beloved master's reaction when he hears about it. I guess it's fortunate for both of us that they'll never learn of this conversation, isn't it?" Draco's eyes narrowed in confusion while hers narrowed in suspicion. "Now, let's just see why you felt I needed an escort on my prefect's rounds tonight. _Legillimens!_" Draco's limited Occlumency training was no match for the determination of his opponent and Hermione wasted no time in ripping his plans from his mind. Her face morphed into a mask of disgust and anger as his thoughts played out before her like a muggle cinema.

_Hermione seemed lost in thought as she made her way down the darkened corridor. Sticking to the shadows, Draco crept silently behind her until she was within easy casting range. With a smirk of victory, he raised his wand and pointed it at the back of her head._

"_Imperio."_

_Hermione's eyes glassed over as the curse took effect, and Draco straightened from his crouched position, no longer worried about his presence being noticed. _

"_Give me your wand." She immediately withdrew her vinewood wand from her pocket and handed it to him without saying a word. "Follow me. If anyone asks, you are escorting me back to the Slytherin common room after catching me out after curfew." _

_Draco's cover story proved unnecessary as they reached the dungeon entrance to the Slytherin common room without seeing another soul. Draco whispered the password and waved Hermione in ahead of him. He entered behind her to find her faced with several of the 5__th__, 6__th__, and 7__th__ year boys who were all gazing at her with various levels of violence and lust in their eyes. _

"_Well boys," Draco drawled, "look who decided to stop by for a visit. Let's make sure she has a good time, shall we?" As the others chuckled and nodded, he walked around her until they stood face to face, cruel grey eyes staring into her glassy brown. "The boys and I have lots of fun planned for you tonight, and you will do anything we tell you to, is that clear?" At her mechanical nod, Draco smiled darkly. "Very good, Mudblood. You can start by taking off your clothes, and then the real fun begins."_

_The next several hours were anything but fun for Hermione as she was repeatedly raped, tortured, and forced to do increasingly degrading and disgusting acts. As the night went on, each boy seemed determined to outdo the one before him in their cruelty and creativity, and there was a running tally of who had caused her to scream the loudest. When the last of them finally spent himself on her broken and bloody face, Draco stepped into her view with his trademark sneer firmly in place._

"_It looks like you've finally learned your place, Mudblood. I can't wait to see the look on Potter's stupid face when he hears about this. He'll have his suspicions about who did it, of course, but there won't be any solid proof and the only one here who would tell the story will be dead." He leaned closer as if sharing a secret with her. "That would be you, by the way. Nott!" A burly 7__th__ year stepped out of the crowd behind Draco. "Clean this… __**thing**__ up and see that it finds its way to the Astronomy Tower without anyone else seeing. I hear it's going to be a particularly cold night tonight, so make sure you bundle up. We wouldn't want you catching your death up there, would we?" _

Having seen enough, Hermione dove deeper into Draco's consciousness, curious to see what repercussions he expected from her death.

_It was during breakfast the next morning when a frantic Poppy Pomfrey rushed into the great hall and up to the staff table where she said something to the Headmaster that made him drop his utensils with a clatter and brought McGonagall's hand to her mouth in horror. As the three of them began making their way out of the hall toward the hospital wing, McGonagall paused at the Gryffindor table long enough to whisper something in Harry's ear that saw him leaping from his seat and rushing out of the hall before anyone could stop him. The news of Hermione's death was announced that night at dinner, but Harry was not in attendance. He wasn't seen for almost a week, but the next time he made an appearance in the great hall for dinner it was like looking at a totally different Harry Potter. His unruly hair made messier from dirt and grime, his tear-stained eyes and sunken cheeks, his steps shuffling and clumsy; all gave him the air of a man whose whole world had ended. _

Seeing her Harry reduced to a shell of the man she loved by the actions of Draco and his cronies saw Hermione's rage ignite into a white-hot inferno that drove her magic through Draco's mind with a vengeance, whipping past scene after scene of his twisted imagination like a tornado. She saw Harry, obviously broken by her death, struck down by Voldemort's killing curse without even drawing his wand. She watched the rest of the fighters for the Light scatter under the onslaught of the Dark Lord and his fearsome Death Eaters, only to be hunted to their deaths in the days and months to come. Most of what she saw she recognized as the narcissistic daydreams of a power-hungry follower, but she was stopped cold by the sight of his greatest ambition.

_An older and more regal-looking Draco Malfoy strolled through the building he owned and operated, a pleased smile on his face as he observed his business thriving. Everywhere he looked he saw scantily-clad witches hanging onto the arms and words of his paying customers, many of them stroking more than just egos. With a nod of satisfaction, Draco entered a doorway reserved only for the highest paying customers, interested to see who was partaking of his 'special' entertainment this evening. _

_Turning the corner, Draco slowly made his way down a corridor lined on both sides with several doors, each bearing a stylized plaque with a name. As he walked he passed several that Hermione recognized, including Abbott, Weasley, Bones, and Patil. From behind each door could be heard various screams, moans, grunts, and other sounds of violent sex and torture. Draco looked up as a door ahead of him opened and revealed the scarred face of Antonin Dolohov entering the hallway. The Death Eater gave Draco a nod and a smile as the two men passed each other, Dolohov still straightening his robes from his recent session. Draco looked at the door he had just left and sighed. _

"_I do hope he managed to control himself this time," he muttered. "The last thing I need today is to send another girl to St. Mungo's for a month, especially one of my most popular." He pushed open the door labeled 'Lovegood' and groaned at the bloody mess covering the floor and some of the walls, wincing as he caught sight of Luna's broken form lying motionless on the bed with only the shallow rise and fall of her naked chest to show that she still lived. Shaking his head at the gold this would cost him in lost profit, he turned and made his way to the front desk to have Pansy floo over for a healer to come and collect Luna before she lost too much blood. _

Hermione pulled herself out of Draco's mind and fought back the urge to vomit. Only the fact that what she had seen was no more than a figment of a disturbed imagination kept her from obliterating him then and there, but it was still several minutes before she could even look at him again. When she did finally return her attention to her silenced and bound captive, his silent laughter almost saw her decorating the room with his entrails.

"Think it's funny, do you?" she snarled. "We'll see if you're still laughing after I track down some Polyjuice Potion and send you back there in my place, you disgusting animal!" The smile immediately fell from Draco's face to be replaced by a look of horror. "Oh relax Draco," she scoffed. "Even if I had the time to find some, the last thing I'd do with it is allow a bunch of rapists to see what I look like under my robes. No, I'm afraid that your little band of knuckle-dragging mouth breathers will have to do without their sex toy tonight, although who knows? Maybe they'll get tired of waiting and settle for buggering each other instead." Hermione smirked at his look of disgust, glad to be back in control of the situation. She had every intention of taking an extra-long shower tonight after what she had seen, and she hoped Harry might join her and help her create some much more pleasant memories. With a bright smile at that thought, which unnerved Draco no end, she returned to the problem at hand.

"Now then, what am I going to do with you?" Pacing in front of her prisoner, she began ticking off a list on her fingers. "Seeing as you haven't actually done anything yet, there's no way to get Dumbledore to expel you or Fudge to arrest you. I could just _obliviate_ you, but there's nothing stopping you from trying something like this again. No, this calls for something a little more… permanent." She stopped her pacing and turned, answering Draco's glare with a sly smile.

"No, I think it's time for another lesson on what happens when you try to curse someone when their back is turned. You remember that one from last year, don't you?" Draco's glare intensified at the memory of his humiliation at the hands of the impostor Moody. "I'll take that as a yes," Hermione said. "Now, since the first lesson obviously didn't take, I'm afraid a remedial lesson is in order. In fact, I think I'll even enlist the help of an old friend to be my teaching assistant. I think you'll find his method of teaching to be most effective." She drew her wand and leveled it between Draco's eyes. "Do try and pay attention this time," she said in her best professor voice. "After all, there will be a test over the material later. Good luck!" Without another word, Draco's world went black.

-oOoOo-

As Draco found himself waking from the second stunner that had hit him this evening, he had no idea that he was once again being watched. The room's hidden occupant had been startled awake by the pop of an elf who disappeared almost immediately, leaving behind the boy who was just now regaining consciousness. His confusion soon turned to recognition, for even though it had been several years and the boy's appearance had changed since he had last seen him, there was no mistaking that it was indeed the same boy. Eyes bright with anticipation, the watcher began creeping up on his prey, who by the looks of it had just figured out that something was very wrong. Before he could escape the predator pounced, pinning the squealing boy to the ground only to release him just as quickly. Draco was allowed to take a few panicked steps before he was mercilessly pinned to the floor again. As Draco was once more allowed to try and escape, his pursuer couldn't help but think that he was much more fun now than he was a few years ago as he lined himself up for another pounce.

In the kitchen of #12 Grimmauld Place, Remus Lupin was drawn from his perusal of the _Daily Prophet_ by a thundering noise a few floors above him. As the noise repeated itself he sighed in resignation and began folding his paper, knowing that it was futile to attempt to read when his housemate was in a playful mood. He had just stood to leave when the kitchen door opened and Sirius Black popped his head in.

"You heading out Moony?" he asked.

Remus nodded. "Can you blame me, with all the noise around here?" Another thud drew both men's eyes to the ceiling as bits of dust and plaster were shaken loose from the impact.

"I guess it is that time," Sirius said. "What do you think, Leaky Cauldron?"

"May as well," Remus replied. "You know the routine. Once it starts it goes on for hours."

Sirius nodded and jerked his head toward the fireplace. Grabbing a pinch of floo powder, he suddenly chuckled and shook his head. At Moony's questioning glance, he gave his friend a mischievous grin.

"I guess Bucky's mum never told him not to play with his food."


	3. Chapter 3: Voldemort

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and characters are the intellectual property of J. K. Rowling. I claim no ownership over anything belonging to her that appears in this story.**

* * *

Remedial Lessons III: Voldemort

_Hermione sneered in contempt at the trembling figure cowering before her. The muggle child, probably seven or eight years old, whimpered softly as the after-effects of the Cruciatus wreaked havoc on her central nervous system. With a flick of Hermione's wand the child's screams once again echoed around the room as she flailed in agony under the torture curse, drawing jeers and cruel laughter from the others in the chamber. Only after the girl had soiled herself was the curse lifted, leaving her smelling of shite and nearly catatonic on the cold stone floor. All other speaking stopped as a sibilant voice hissed above the din._

"_Finish it."_

_With a nod Hermione aimed the tip of her wand squarely between the child's terrified eyes, eyes that begged for the pain to end. Hermione felt her lips curl into a cruel smirk as she relished in the power she could feel coursing through her veins._

"_Avada Kadavra!" _

_The child's lifeless body slumped to the floor with a wet thump as her soul was torn from her by Hermione's wand. Giving the girl one last disdainful sniff she turned to face the front of the room where, in an ornate throne of ebony and gold, the Dark Lord watched her with amusement twinkling in his red eyes. His mouth split into a maniacal smile, revealing his sharp yellow teeth and causing Hermione to give an involuntary shudder._

"_Come forward, child," he said. Hermione slowly approached the throne and knelt at Voldemort's feet, her face inches from the hem of his dark robes. "You have done well this evening, child. Give me your arm, so that I may welcome you fully into my service." Immediately Hermione presented her left arm, trembling in anticipation as she felt the tip of the Dark Lord's wand press into the flesh of her forearm._

"_Morsmordre!"_

_Hermione barely stifled her scream as pain unlike anything she had ever felt erupted through her body. It felt like every bone in her arm was on fire, and she tasted blood where she had bit through her lip to keep from crying out. Fighting through the agony, Hermione focused on the magic she could feel entering her body. She felt it slither its way through flesh and bone, binding her very soul and magic to the Dark Lord. _

"_Arise, my child, and join your brothers and sisters." _

_Taking a few deep, steadying breaths, Hermione stood and looked upon the Dark Mark now etched into her skin, its blackness a stark contrast to the white of her flesh. She allowed her eyes to travel up and into the reptilian visage of the greatest Dark Lord in the history of magic. She smiled as she felt his presence in the tattoo on her arm, a writhing darkness oozing with power. She bowed her head submissively, the smile never leaving her face._

"_I live to serve, my Lord."_

Hermione blinked her eyes, shaking her head a few times to regain her bearings. She quickly rolled up the sleeve of her left arm, breathing a sigh of relief at the pale, flawless skin that greeted her.

"Well that was unpleasant," she said to herself, resisting the urge to vomit, "but it does answer my question." Taking a moment to clear her mind of the images she had just seen, Hermione soon turned her attention to the pug-faced girl in Slytherin robes glaring hatefully at her from the chair to which she was bound.

"You really are a piece of work, aren't you Parkinson?" she asked. "I mean I always knew you were a cold, heartless bitch, but torturing and murdering a child? And _enjoying_ it? I'm not sure you still qualify as human after that."

"Speak for yourself, _Mudblood_," Pansy spat. "I'm not the one traipsing around the castle with that useless half-blood Potter, hanging off him like a five-sickle whore! Tell me, Granger, how long did you wait before you spread your legs for him? An hour maybe? A day? Or is Potter too busy getting buggered by Weasley to even notice you throwing your knickers at him?"

Hermione smiled. "What Harry does with my knickers is none of your concern. On the other hand, I can understand why you'd be interested, seeing as your little boy-toy up and disappeared on you." She snapped her fingers as if coming to a sudden realization. "That's why I caught you trying to curse me in the back tonight isn't it? You're jealous! Not that I blame you, of course, but it was still a terribly foolish thing to do. So, what should I do with you, hmm?"

Enraged, Pansy tried to leap at the smirking Gryffindor, straining against the conjured ropes holding her down. "I tried to curse you because you're the reason Draco is missing! I know you did something to him when he was following you on your prefect rounds that night, and if I find out that you hurt him I swear to Merlin and Morgana that I'll personally make your life a living hell!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "So, you knew what he had planned for me that night, didn't you?" Pansy paled, causing Hermione to nod in satisfaction. "Then you understand why I couldn't let him get away with it. He was going to use me to hurt Harry, and I simply will not allow that. I thought about just obliviating him, but I knew he'd just try again. So I opted for a more... permanent solution."

"I knew it," Pansy whispered. "You killed him. You actually killed him. I can't believe that you're standing there with that fucking grin on your filthy mudblood face telling me that you killed my Draco!" Pansy thrashed against the restraints, spittle flying from her mouth as she raged. "Did it feel good, bitch? Did it fucking feel good? Did it?" Hermione frowned as Pansy gave her a grin with more than a touch of madness in it. "I wonder what they'll say, your friends, Dumbledore, your pathetic limp-dick boyfriend. What will he think when he finds out that perfect Hermione Granger is nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer!"

Hermione stepped forward and slapped the enraged Slytherin fiercely. "Shut your mouth you psychotic bitch! I'm not the one using Unforgivables on muggle children while my abomination of a master looks on with his dick in his hand! And as for Harry? He'll never know that I killed Draco, just like he'll never know what I'm going to do to you!"

Pansy suddenly relaxed back into the chair, a victorious smirk on her face. She quirked her eyebrows and glanced over Hermione's shoulder. "Wanna bet?"

Hermione whirled around and gasped in horror as Harry stepped out of the shadows with an unreadable expression on his face. "Harry? What... I..."

"I got a note today saying that something was going to happen on your prefect rounds," he said evenly. "It hinted that you might be in some kind of danger, so after you left I grabbed my cloak and followed you." He glanced to Pansy and then back to her. "I certainly wasn't expecting this."

Hermione stood frozen in shock, unable to make a sound as her mind ground to a screeching halt. Harry slowly approached her, his face giving nothing away as he held her gaze.

"Is it true?" he asked. "Did you really kill Draco because he was planning on hurting you to get to me?"

Though she was terrified of his reaction, Hermione could only answer with the truth. "Yes."

Harry's brow furrowed in thought. "And that whole thing with Snape and Umbridge. You had something to do with that too, didn't you?"

"Yes," she whispered, ignoring the startled gasp from Pansy. Harry's eyes bored into hers, seeming to draw her very soul into their emerald depths. After what felt like an eternity, he closed the distance between them and drew her into a kiss that set fire to every fiber of her being. When they finally broke contact, the smile he gave her obliterated her fears in an instant.

"Thank you," he whispered. "You're always looking out for me, even when I don't see it. I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you, Hermione."

Hermione gave a watery laugh as tears of relief leaked from her eyes. "Oh Harry," she cooed, "I love you so much." She began leaning in for another kiss when she saw his gaze travel behind her and widen in alarm.

"_Avada Kadavra!_"

Before she could react Hermione felt herself being thrown to the side, landing roughly on the stone floor. She looked up in time to see the sickly green light of the Killing Curse slam into Harry's chest, sending him flying backwards to land in a lifeless heap a few feet away. Her wand was in her hand instantly as she turned to see Pansy cackling with glee, waving the wand she had apparently hidden up her sleeve. An _Expelliarmus_ followed by a stunner shut her up quickly, but Hermione knew it was too late. She scrambled over to Harry's still form, ignoring the scrapes and cuts from the unforgiving stone. She gently pulled his head into her lap and began running her fingers through his hair, allowing her tears to fall onto his peaceful face. She didn't know how long she sat there sobbing and rocking with grief, but eventually the aching, gnashing pain in her chest was replaced by a fury the likes of which she had never known. Placing a tender goodbye kiss on his forehead, she gently lowered his head to the floor and stood, focusing her anger and hatred on her next task. Stalking over to her unconscious prisoner, Hermione didn't bother with her wand and instead delivered an open-handed slap to Pansy's face.

The pug-faced girl blinked the stars from her vision for a few moments before the fog cleared from her mind and she remembered what she had just managed to do, causing her to smile broadly. Her smile faltered a bit when she caught sight of the enraged form of Hermione Granger staring at her with death in her eyes.

"You know," Hermione said, "I had planned on keeping you stunned for this next part, but now I think I'd rather hear you scream." Pansy's smirk turned to a frown of confusion as Hermione ripped away the sleeve of Pansy's robe to expose her Dark Mark. Her confusion turned to terror as Hermione placed the tip of her wand in the center of the skull's forehead. "Give my regards to your precious Draco, bitch. _Crucio!"_

Every first year at Hogwarts knows that magic is all about intent. From levitating a feather to conjuring a sofa, every spell depends on the intent of the caster to function. What every parent of a magical child knows is that magic is also closely tied to emotion. It's not uncommon for favorite toys to float into grasping hands or for tantrums to cause various household items to explode. So when Hermione cast the torture curse into Pansy's Dark Mark, her intent was for the Dark Lord himself to receive the brunt of it.

Her emotional state after seeing the love of her life struck down by a curse aimed at her made it the most powerful _Crucio_ to be cast in almost 600 years.

The Dark Lord was in the middle of a planning session with his inner circle when Hermione's curse struck. Ironically, for all the times he had cast it, Voldemort had never felt the effects of his favorite curse personally and so had no idea what was happening to him. As his entire body erupted in agony, he instinctively threw his considerable magical power toward the source of the pain in an attempt to overpower and subdue it. However, because his magic was so in tune with that particular curse after having cast it so often, this had the unintended effect of multiplying and reinforcing the onslaught as well as opening up the magical conduits of the Dark Marks of every living Death Eater to the unimaginably overpowered curse.

Across the country, witches and wizards from all walks of life began screaming and clutching their left arms in agony. Many of them attempted to claw the tattoo from their arm in an effort to escape their torment, but not even stunning spells were enough to dull the pain. A few of the victims managed to make their way to St. Mungo's, but even the best magical medics in Britain were left shaking their heads in frustration.

The castle wards alerting him to a disturbance in the Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff dormitories jolted headmaster Dumbledore awake. A quick floo conference with his Heads of House confirmed that several of the upper year students were currently screaming and thrashing about uncontrollably. Dumbledore was alarmed to learn that each of the affected students bore Tom Riddle's Mark on their arm, giving him an inkling of what might be happening. He ordered the suffering students be brought to the infirmary at once before rushing out to wake Madame Pomfrey.

Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had been looking over some reports concerning her eleven missing convicts when she was alerted to the strange phenomenon surrounding the Dark Mark by one of her senior aurors. She wasted no time in flooing to the Ministry where she was shocked to find that several of her on-duty aurors had collapsed clutching their left arms. She immediately called in every available auror and managed to convince Minister Fudge to declare martial law until the situation was contained. The order had barely left his lips before he barricaded himself in his office, causing Amelia to shake her head in disgust before heading off to try and keep the country from falling apart.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned in an unplottable, _Fidelius_-protected manor house a few miles outside London. Rabastan and Rudolphus Lestrange resorted to firing cutting curses at each other's arms trying to remove the source of their agony, but they were horrified when dark tendrils of magic reached out and reconnected the severed limbs almost immediately, a failsafe built into the Dark Mark to ensure everlasting loyalty. Bellatrix was in the throes of one of the most intense orgasms of her life, brought on by the exquisite torment pouring from her master's beautiful Mark. So caught up was she in her ecstasy, she never noticed when blood began seeping from her ears and nose. Peter Pettigrew's magic was going haywire, shifting him from rat to man in a bizarre attempt to escape his torture.

"Narcissa," Lucius whimpered. "Please, you must... help... m-me." The Lady Malfoy stared down at her husband with a look of cold hate in her eyes. Like her cousin Sirius, she never believed in the ideals of pureblood supremacy and domination, but she knew her place as the wife of a Malfoy. Now she looked on as her husband suffered the consequences for forsaking honor and family and enslaving himself to a monster. She bent down to look him in they eye, unmoved by the blood dripping from his eyes and nose.

"You and your _master_ cost me my son," she whispered. "You poisoned his mind with your cruelty and your selfishness, and somewhere along the line he crossed the wrong person and paid the price. You took my baby from me, you bastard. May you rot in Hell." Her eyes never left his as she pulled the ring from her left ring finger and threw it at his feet before turning and stalking from the room, leaving her husband of almost twenty years to die.

Tom Riddle, the self-styled Lord Voldemort, the most feared dark lord in history, watched in excruciating pain and mounting horror as his closest followers dropped dead around him. As more and more of his Death Eaters perished, the magic that killed them began building up in his body, having nowhere else to go. As the last of his followers died, the magical construct that was the Dark Lord's body finally succumbed to the strain, spattering the walls and ceiling with gore as it exploded.

In Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in a hidden room on the seventh floor, Hermione Granger lifted her wand from the arm of what used to be Pansy Parkinson. The heartbroken girl paid no attention to the bloody mess of her former classmate as she shuffled over to her fallen love, sank to her knees, and wept.

-oOoOo-

"She loves you very much, honey."

"I know, Mum. I love her just as much."

"You couldn't have picked a finer woman if you tried, Harry. I'm so proud of you, son."

"Thanks, Dad. It kills me to see her so upset. I'd give anything to make it better, but I'll just have to wait for her here, no matter how long it takes. I'll wait forever if I have to, just to hold her again."

"It's funny you should mention that. Why don't we all go over here and have a nice chat..."

-oOoOo-

Hermione was dreaming. She and Harry were lying in bed, her head on his chest, his heart beating a gently rhythm in her ear. She closed her eyes and sighed as she felt his fingers running through her hair, sending tingles of pleasure across her scalp. He chuckled softly, causing Hermione to smile at the sound before her eyes snapped open in alarm. Even though she knew she was wide awake, she could somehow still hear Harry's heart beating, as if he was still alive. When she felt his fingers make another pass through her hair, she sat bolt upright and gaped into the sparkling green eyes of the man who held her heart, and who she could swear she saw take a Killing Curse meant for her. She held his gaze for a moment before throwing herself into his arms and sobbing into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her, whispering soothing nothings into her ear until she calmed enough to speak.

"Thought I... had... l-lost you Harry..." she hiccupped.

"Shh, love, I'm here. I'm here and I'm never leaving you again." She pulled back from his embrace and began running her hands all over his body, reassuring herself that he was really there. He caught her hands and kissed her fingers before pulling her back to his embrace.

"Harry," she whispered. "I don't understand. I saw you die, I know I did. How is this possible?"

"It's an interesting story, believe me. But first I think there's a few things we need to take care of..."

It took three days for magical Britain to recover from the turmoil of that fateful night. The DMLE eventually determined that at least 300 witches and wizards were killed in less than 10 minutes, each of them bearing Voldemort's Dark Mark. The top minds from St. Mungo's and the Department of Mysteries were baffled as to the cause until an anonymous tip led a squad of aurors to Malfoy Manor. There they found the grisly remains of the Dark Lord's inner circle as well as Voldemort himself. When Peter Pettigrew was discovered among the dead, the _Daily Prophet_ ran a front-page story calling for the Sirius Black case to be reopened. When the fugitive showed up at the offices of the DMLE hale and hearty without a sign of having the Dark Mark, Amelia Bones wasted no time getting Fudge to issue a ministerial pardon as well as a bank draft for a tidy sum of galleons taken from the vaults of dead Death Eaters. Due to his cowardice during a time of crisis, it was his last act as Minister for Magic, and Amelia Bones was elected as his replacement in a landslide vote.

Harry and Hermione were sitting together at the Gryffindor table feeding each other bites of after-dinner dessert when Professor Dumbledore stopped on his way out of the great hall to speak with them.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, I wonder if you would care to join me in my office once you have finished your dessert? I believe the gargoyle will be quite _moved_ at the mention of Canary Creams." Giving them a twinkly-eyed smile, the ancient mage nodded and meandered out of the hall, quietly humming a jaunty tune. A few more bites and some stolen kisses later saw the happy couple riding the spiral staircase up to the headmaster's eccentric office. Receiving a muffled "come" at their knock, the pair entered the office and took the two offered chairs in front of Dumbledore's massive desk.

"Welcome Miss Granger, Mr. Potter. Would either of you care for a lemon drop?" Receiving two negative headshakes, Dumbledore popped one of the offered candies into his mouth before continuing. "Very well. I'm sure you're both curious as to why I've asked you here this evening. Several years ago, Harry, you asked me why Voldemort came after your family that horrible night. At the time I felt that you were too young to bear the burden that particular truth would have been. In light of recent events, I believe now would be a good time for you to receive the answer to your question." He tapped his wand to a rune on the pensieve on his desk, causing the ethereal form of Sybil Trelawney to rise from the swirling liquid and deliver the prophecy that linked the fates of Harry James Potter and Tom Marvolo Riddle. When the memory ended, Harry and Hermione appeared deep in thought as they worked through the possible ramifications of what they had just heard. Sharing a brief, worried glance, Harry turned back to Professor Dumbledore, who had been content to sit patiently while they organized their thoughts.

"I'm not sure I understand, sir," Harry said. "Do you think this 'power he knows not' had something to do with what happened a few days ago?"

Dumbledore nodded. "That is quite possible, Harry. You see, after studying this prophecy along with the lives of both yourself and Tom Riddle, I have come to the conclusion that the 'power he knows not' is in fact your vast propensity to love. Tell me, were the two of you by chance... _together_ a few nights ago, around, say, 9:00?" Mistaking their worried glances for embarrassment, Dumbledore smiled warmly. "I thought as much. You see, Harry, I believe that when Voldemort's curse left that scar on your head, it also left a kind of connection to the Dark Lord behind as well. Alarming as that may be, it would appear to be a blessing in disguise. I believe that whatever happened between yourself and Miss Granger that night generated such an expression of love that the Dark Lord was simply unable to deal with the sheer power that the two of you generated. They say love is the most powerful force on Earth, and in this case I believe that proves especially true."

"So you're saying the prophecy was fulfilled the other night? He's gone for good this time?" Harry asked with a massive blush.

"Yes my boy, Tom Riddle has finally gone on to his next great adventure, thanks to you two. And since he saw fit to take his loyal followers with him, I'm confident that there is minimal danger in the public learning of this prophecy as an explanation as to what happened that night. Suffice to say that the details will be quite vague, for obvious reasons, but I wouldn't be surprised to see you both receiving the Order of Merlin First Class for your great contributions to the wizarding world. In addition, your godfather has pointed out to me, and I have agreed, that with the Dark Lord gone there is no more need for you to stay with your relatives during your time away from Hogwarts. I understand that you have an open invitation to move in with Sirius should you so choose, and judging by the look on your face, that choice is a given." Dumbledore smiled at the look of elation adorning Harry's face. "Now then, since I'm sure that you would both rather spend the evening with each other instead of your stuffy old headmaster, I'll bid you both a good evening."

"Thank you sir," the couple said in unison before taking their leave. They waited until they were well away from the headmaster's office before commenting on what they had just heard.

"So, is he really gone?" Harry asked.

Hermione furrowed her brow in thought. "Well, let's see. The stuff about being 'marked as his equal' and having 'power the Dark Lord knows not' seems correct. 'Either must die at the hand of the other' is a little tricky, but if you count Parkinson as acting as Voldemort's hand, and me acting as yours, it makes sense."

Harry nodded. "Sounds good to me. So, you think our secret is safe?"

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief even as her cheeks flushed crimson. "I think so love. Nobody suspected a thing when Parkinson was found outside the Slytherin common room entrance. That reminds me, we really need to do something nice for Dobby soon. Maybe some interesting hats."

Harry nodded with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "So I was thinking, now that the war's really over, there's nothing stopping me from asking you to marry me and spend the rest of our lives together." Harry took a few more steps before he realized that Hermione had stopped in her tracks. He turned to face her just in time to catch her as she threw herself into his arms, snogging him senseless.

When they came up for air, Hermione fisted her hands in his robes, a hungry look in her eyes. "Unfortunately, future husband, we can't marry until you turn 17." Harry frowned slightly and nodded. Hermione slipped into a seductive smile. "However, there's nothing stopping us from spending as much time as possible from now till then learning every _inch_ of each other."

Harry grinned. "Well then, Miss Granger, I believe I'm ready for my first lesson whenever you are."

She stood on her toes to give him a searing kiss. "I'm all yours Mr. Potter."


End file.
